UAV Path Planning Based on Multi-Stage Constraint Optimization

Evolutionary Algorithms (EAs) based Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) path planners have been extensively studied for their effectiveness and high concurrency. However, when there are many obstacles, the path can easily violate constraints during the evolutionary process. Even if a single waypoint causes a few constraint violations, the algorithm will discard these solutions. In this paper, path planning is constructed as a multi-objective optimization problem with constraints in a three-dimensional terrain scenario. To solve this problem in an effective way, this paper proposes an evolutionary algorithm based on multi-level constraint processing (ANSGA-III-PPS) to plan the shortest collision-free flight path of a gliding UAV. The proposed algorithm uses an adaptive constraint processing mechanism to improve different path constraints in a three-dimensional environment and uses an improved adaptive non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm (third edition—ANSGA-III) to enhance the algorithm’s path planning ability in a complex environment. The experimental results show that compared with the other four algorithms, ANSGA-III-PPS achieves the best solution performance. This not only validates the effect of the proposed algorithm, but also enriches and improves the research results of UAV path planning.

Significant cognitive decline in Parkinson’s disease exacerbates the reliance on visual feedback during upper limb reaches

While upper limb reaches are often made in a feed-forward manner, visual feedbackduring the movement can be used to guide the reaching hand towards a target. InParkinson’s disease (PD), there is evidence that the utilisation of this visual feedbackis increased. However, it is unclear if this is due solely to the characteristic slownessof movements in PD providing more opportunity for incorporating visual feedback tomodify reach trajectories, or whether it is due to cognitive decline impacting (feedforward)movement planning ability. To investigate this, we compared reaction timesand movement times of reaches to a target in groups of PD patients with normalcognition (PD-NC), mild cognitive impairment (PD-MCI) or dementia (PD-D), to that ofcontrols with normal cognition (CON-NC) or mild cognitive impairment (CON-MCI).Reaches were undertaken with full visual feedback (at a ‘natural’ and ‘fast-as-possible’pace); with reduced visual feedback of the reaching limb to an illuminated target; andwithout any visual feedback to a remembered target with eyes closed.PD-D exhibited slower reaction times than all other groups across conditions,indicative of less efficient movement planning. When reaching to a rememberedtarget with eyes closed, all PD groups exhibited slower movement times relative totheir natural pace with full visual feedback. Crucially, this relative slowing was mostpronounced for the PD-D group, compared to the PD-MCI and PD-NC groups,suggesting that substantial cognitive decline in PD exacerbates dependence on visualfeedback during upper limb reaches.

Upaya Meningkatkan Kemampuan Perencanaan Karier Melalui Layanan Informasi Karier pada Saat Pandemi Covid-19 bagi Siswa di SMA Negeri 2 Praya

The purpose of this study was to improve career planning skills through career information services during the Covid-19 pandemic for class XII-MIA-1 students of SMA Negeri 2 Praya in the academic year 2020/2021. This research method uses a classroom action research method consisting of 2 cycles of action. The research instrument used observation sheets and tests. The data analysis technique used descriptive analysis. Based on the results of the data analysis of the implementation of the action in cycle I, it shows that the percentage of students' career planning abilities is very high as many as 4 people or 11.76%, high career planning abilities are 5 people or 14.71%, while as many as 8 people or 23.53% , low 8 people amounted to 23.53% and very low category career planning ability 9 people or 26.47%. Based on the results of cycle II analysis, it was found that students had very high career planning abilities as many as 12 people or 35.29 %%, high career planning abilities by 9 people or 26.47% and career planning abilities in the medium category of 7 people or 20.59%, low career planning ability as many as 4 people or 11.76%, and very low career planning ability as many as 2 people or 5.88%.

Factors Affecting Retirement Planning Ability

This study tries to prove whether there is an influence between the level of financial literacy, gender and age of a person on his ability to do retirement planning. This study uses a survey method by distributing questionnaires online. The sample of this research is workers who have not retired or workers who are still working even though they have retired. The sampling technique was purposive sampling with judgment, where the criteria used were workers with an age range of 23-65 years. Data analysis used in this study is ordinal regression. The results of this study found that gender and age had an influence on the ability to plan for retirement, but the level of financial literacy was not found to have an influence on the ability to do retirement planning.

Planning deficits in Huntington’s disease: A brain structural correlation by voxel-based morphometry

Introduction Early Huntington’s disease (HD) patients begin to show planning deficits even before motor alterations start to manifest. Generally, planning ability is associated with the functioning of anterior brain areas such as the medial prefrontal cortex. However, early HD neuropathology involves significant atrophy in the occipital and parietal cortex, suggesting that more posterior regions could also be involved in these planning deficits. Objective To identify brain regions associated with planning deficits in HD patients at an early clinical stage. Materials and methods Twenty-two HD-subjects genetically confirmed with incipient clinical manifestation and twenty healthy subjects were recruited. All participants underwent MRI T1 image acquisition as well as testing in the Stockings of Cambridge (SOC) task to measure planning ability. First, group comparison of SOC measures were performed. Then, correlation voxel-based morphometry analyses were done between gray matter degeneration and SOC performance in the HD group. Results Accuracy and efficiency planning scores correlated with gray matter density in right lingual gyrus, middle temporal gyrus, anterior cingulate gyrus, and paracingulate gyrus. Conclusions Our results suggest that planning deficits exhibited by early HD-subjects are related to occipital and temporal cortical degeneration in addition to the frontal areas deterioration.

Travel planning in men and women. Who is better?

Gender differences are often reported in spatial abilities, most of the times favouring men. Even during wayfinding, which requires planning and decision-making, such as choosing roads to take or shortcuts, men are in general better and faster than women. Although different interpretations have been proposed to explain men’s advantage in navigation, no study has explored the possibility that it could be due to men’s better travel planning ability. This latter has been recently identified as a distinct kind of planning that allows implementing an efficient navigational strategy in accordance with the environmental features. Therefore, the present study was aimed at investigating gender differences in travel planning ability. We compared men and women in performing the Key Search Task that requires to implement a strategy to search for a lost object in a wide imagined space. Results showed that men outperform women in both the overall performance and in some specific indexes of the total score. Men had a better travel planning ability with respect to women, outperforming women in configuring the planned strategy and choosing the best point to enter the imagined field. Therefore, men seem to plan the best navigational strategy and appear more cognitively flexible than women in adapting the strategy at the environmental features. The two genders did not differ in the time spent to solve the task. This finding suggests that differences in travel planning skills can contribute in explaining gender differences in wayfinding and spatial orientation.

An ecologically valid examination of event-based and time-based prospective memory using immersive virtual reality: the influence of attention, memory, and executive function processes on real-world prospective memory.

Studies on prospective memory (PM) predominantly assess either event- or time-based PM by implementing non-ecological laboratory-based tasks. The results deriving from these paradigms have provided findings that are discrepant with ecologically valid research paradigms that converge on the complexity and cognitive demands of everyday tasks. The Virtual Reality Everyday Assessment Lab (VR-EAL), an immersive virtual reality (VR) neuropsychological battery with enhanced ecological validity, was implemented to assess everyday event- and time-based PM, as well as the influence of other cognitive functions on everyday PM functioning. The results demonstrated the importance of delayed recognition, planning, and visuospatial attention on everyday PM. Delayed recognition and planning ability were found to be central in event- and time-based PM respectively. In order of importance, delayed recognition, visuospatial attention speed, and planning ability were found to be involved in event-based PM functioning. Comparably, planning, visuospatial attention accuracy, delayed recognition, and multitasking/task-shifting ability were found to be involved in time-based PM functioning. These findings further suggest the importance of ecological validity in the study of PM, which may be achieved using immersive VR paradigms.

An ecologically valid examination of event-based and time-based prospective memory using immersive virtual reality: the influence of attention, memory, and executive function processes on real-world prospective memory.

Studies on prospective memory (PM) predominantly assess either event- or time-based PM by implementing non-ecological laboratory-based tasks. The results deriving from these paradigms have provided findings that are discrepant with ecologically valid research paradigms that converge on the complexity and cognitive demands of everyday tasks. The Virtual Reality Everyday Assessment Lab (VR-EAL), an immersive virtual reality (VR) neuropsychological battery with enhanced ecological validity, was implemented to assess everyday event- and time-based PM, as well as the influence of other cognitive functions on everyday PM functioning. The results demonstrated the importance of delayed recognition, planning, and visuospatial attention on everyday PM. Delayed recognition and planning ability were found to be central in event- and time-based PM respectively. In order of importance, delayed recognition, visuospatial attention speed, and planning ability were found to be involved in event-based PM functioning. Comparably, planning, visuospatial attention accuracy, delayed recognition, and multitasking/task-shifting ability were found to be involved in time-based PM functioning. These findings further suggest the importance of ecological validity in the study of PM, which may be achieved using immersive VR paradigms.

The Effects of Adult Ageing and Culture on the Tower of London Task

Planning ability is important in everyday functioning, and a key measure to assess the preparation and execution of plans is the Tower of London (ToL) task. Previous studies indicate that older adults are often less accurate than the young on the ToL and that there may be cultural differences in performance on the task. However, potential interactions between age and culture have not previously been explored. In the current study we examined the effects of age on ToL performance in an Asian culture (Malaysia) and a Western culture (British) (n = 191). We also explored whether working memory, age, education, and socioeconomic status explained variance in ToL performance across these two cultures. Results indicated that age effects on ToL performance were greater in the Malaysian sample. Subsequent moderated mediation analysis revealed differences between the two cultures (British vs Malaysians), in that the age-related variance in ToL accuracy was accounted for by WM capacity at low and medium education levels only in the Malaysian sample. Demographic variables could not explain additional variance in ToL speed or accuracy. These results may reflect cultural differences in the familiarity and cognitive load of carrying out complex planning tasks.